WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) released the following statement today on the passage of a Senate deal to fund the government through Jan. 15 and raise the debt ceiling until Feb. 7:

"Since President Obama came into office, he has signed into law a costly 20,000 page health care law, authored a $787 billion stimulus, and raised the debt ceiling now six times. He has taken care of his pet projects while letting the most foundational elements of the Constitution — from budgeting to national security — sit on the back burner.  Because of his leadership, we have operated from one crisis to the next. It happened once again when he and Majority Leader Reid held Congress hostage with the debt ceiling in order to forge a deal that falls short of anything worthy of conservative support. It's time this ends and my colleagues face the overdue discussion on the scope and size of federal government. The federal government is growing more invasive than our Founding Fathers ever intended; our national debt is slated to skyrocket to $25 trillion in the next decade; and the President's fiscal recklessness is disarming America and making our national security more vulnerable than ever before.  I look forward to my soon return to continue this debate and ensure this crucial discussion about our nation's future remains in the forefront of funding decisions."

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